Need tips for teenager making pre-move connections in LA area

September 11, 2015 6:26 PM

My son and I are moving to the LA area (specifically Alhambra) from northern Michigan in a few months. He's 14 and I'd like to take whatever steps I can to smooth the transition for him. Toward that end, does anyone in the area (or elsewhere) have any ideas as to how he could start making local/neighborhood connections/friends before we move? I've searched for online clubs, etc., but haven't found much (and those can be questionable anyway). Any advice is appreciated - thank you!
posted by slugg0h to Grab Bag (7 answers total)

If being 14 now is anything like being 14 back in my day, he is going to make most of his friends at school, in your neighborhood, and maybe through regular activities that he participates in. I think if you have your new address already, trying to find out if you already have connections to similar-aged kids in walking or bike distance would be great. If you know what school he will attend, looking into the school, what clubs there are, what classes he'll be taking, etc. will be a big help. If he has a hobby he does now, looking into how to sign up for that in L.A. would be perfect.

I'm sure you know this, because you're moving here, but Los Angeles is HUGE. Finding stuff that is convenient to Alhambra ("San Gabriel Valley" is probably a good keyword, you also might find yourself going to Pasadena a lot) is going to be much more useful than finding it in Santa Monica or Reseda or the like. He might enjoy a project where he finds out where stuff that is relevant to his interests is located, in/near Alhambra. Where's the nearest comic shop, basketball court, skate park, movies, etc.
posted by Sara C. at 7:21 PM on September 11, 2015 [1 favorite]

Alhambra is a pretty teen-friendly place from my recollection. I spent a fair bit of time at Alhambra high school and it's right in the middle of "downtown" so there's lots of places to hang out after school. Do you know which school he'll be attending?

Instead of trying to make friends online ahead of time, maybe try to make sure he's socially prepared in general, and excited about the general area. If there's a particular extracurricular he wants to do, maybe email the director of that ahead of time so they know he's coming midway through the school year.

If he's not Asian or Hispanic, get used to being a very small minority, if that's not something he's experienced before! A lot of the local teen hangout places are Chinese restaurants, bubble tea, etc.
posted by acidic at 7:36 PM on September 11, 2015 [2 favorites]

Have him look and see if there are any FB groups or Instagram accounts specifically for his high school, or extra curricular groups that he will be interested in joining (band, chess, swim team, student body govt, etc etc). Maybe he could get up to speed with what the groups are doing that way. He could also check out the yelp reviews for some of the local businesses around the high school to get an idea of where kids are hanging out, and what places they're avoiding.
posted by vignettist at 8:42 PM on September 11, 2015

Oh, that's my hometown! I'm way out of the loop as to what teenagers do around there now, but I agree with acidic's "teen-friendly" assessment with Alhambra High School, the big movie theater, and a large number of shops and restaurants all within walking distance. From what I can tell when I visit home, teens are still hanging out at all the local tea houses getting their boba/tapioca pearl drinks, and hopefully he likes Chinese food, because there is SO MUCH of it in the SGV. I think trying to make a bunch of local online contacts ahead of time is going to be tough, particularly at his age, but hopefully he'll make some friends once he starts school.

For some slightly more obscure suggestions of places to check out, there's a neat little art gallery in town (Nucleus) that frequently features artists and shows focused on various geeky fandoms, in case that's something he might be into, and they've got a bunch of quirky toys and collectibles for sale as well. There's also an "escape the room" game (Exit Game) in neighboring Monterey Park that I've heard some good things about. It probably won't help him find new friends, but it could be a fun thing to do once you all get there.
posted by Diagonalize at 9:30 PM on September 11, 2015 [1 favorite]

If he has a core sport or extracurricular you should be communicating with the coach / director / whatever now. Getting a spot on the team (etc.) isn't easy for a mid-year arrival unless it's been worked out in advance.
posted by MattD at 6:03 AM on September 12, 2015

This would be a mixed age crowd, but if he likes model trains, there's a nearby club with a fancy layout.
posted by Scram at 8:34 AM on September 12, 2015

Response by poster: Thank you so much for all your responses - very helpful, and much appreciated.

acidic - I believe, if the move actually happens (unfortunately there have been complications), that he'd be attending Temple City.
posted by slugg0h at 7:19 PM on September 15, 2015